Chapter Sixteen
Wren
Istoodnearthe base of the most beautiful waterfall I’d ever seen in my life. Granted, I hadn’t seen many waterfalls in person, if any, but the thundering water cascading down the high wall of rock hit me in my very core.
Cypress Falls was stunning. We’d hiked for so long that my skin dripped with sweat and my legs felt like jelly, but it had all been worth it to get here.
“Where’s the water coming from?” I asked Ellie as I craned my neck to stare at the point high above where the white water poured down.
Ellie dropped her backpack on the ground and toed off her shoes. “Um, well, I think it’s fed by a series of small creeks up at the top. It’s constantly running like this, even during droughts.”
“It’s so mesmerizing,” I breathed. If it wasn’t for the thunderous crash of the water reverberating in my chest and the cool mist in the air, I might not have believed it was real.
Ellie giggled as she peeled off her tank top, revealing her sapphire-blue bikini top underneath. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. People from all over the world come to see it.”
I nodded, having a hard time taking my eyes off it. This place, this whole tiny little town tucked away in the middle of nowhere, had so much to offer. So much magic.
“Are you going to swim?” Ellie asked, a slender brow raised and hands on her bikini-clad hips. She looked extremely comfortable in the skimpy piece of swimwear. I guessed she had no reason not to be. Her soft curves hit in exactly the right places, her skin smooth and flawless.
I thought of the suit I’d worn under my clothes at her advisement, the one from Faye’s boutique. Although I loved it, I didn’t look near as good as Ellie did in hers. I wasn’t used to running around mostly naked in front of a group of guys I barely knew, and an unfamiliar sense of insecurity wafted over me as my skin heated.
Ellie tapped her foot. “Did you forget your suit?” she asked nicely, but with a whiff of disappointment.
I shook my head. I’d need to get over the nerves. “No,” I replied. “It’s just…” I glanced at the water. The falls were in a cove off the main river. It was surrounded by tall trees and high walls of moss-covered rock. “I’ve never swam in a river.” I laughed nervously. “Are there like, fish and stuff?”
Ellie pressed her lips together against a smile. “Yes, but they won’t bother us, I promise. They aren’t interested in you.”
I nodded, fighting the sudden insecurity as I put my backpack down and eased off my shirt.
A whooping cry made me jump, and I spun around as Ty flung himself off a large boulder, backflipping into the water with a giant splash. He popped back up through the surface with a huge grin.
“Come on in, y’all. The water’s fine!” he called, shaking wet hair out of his face.
“Show-off,” Knox mumbled low as he took off his hat and shirt.
I’d met Knox on this trip. He wasn’t much for words, but he was nice. Polite. I looked forward to getting to know him.
As I shimmied off my shorts, I was highly aware of a pair of eyes on me. I couldn’t see him, but I felt his presence behind me. The whole hike there was some invisible current connecting Atlas and me. He’d been out of my sight most of the time, but he had stayed close.
Like right now. I didn’t turn to him, but I knew he was there.
When I’d undressed, Ellie grabbed my hand and pulled me to the shore lined with river rocks and slick green moss. She sat down on the bare dirt and dipped her toes in with a shiver.
“Holy shit it’s cold!” she said, pulling back.
Ty swam over to us as Knox climbed onto the boulder and jumped in, not making the spectacle Ty had.
“Just get in,” Ty urged.
Ellie frowned and shook her head, dipping her toes back in slowly.
Ty rolled his eyes as he glanced at me. “How about you, Chickie? Care to take the plunge?” He arched a brow.
I glared at him. “If I jump in, will you quit calling me that?”
Ty raised a shoulder. “Maybe.”
Ellie sighed, having eased her second foot into the water. “Y’all are crazy.”